United Nations
FCCC/SBSTA/2013/L.33/Add.1
Distr.: Limited
16 November 2013
Original: English
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice
Thirty-ninth session
Warsaw, 11–16 November 2013
Agenda item 5
Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from
deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable
management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing
countries
Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the
role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and
enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries
Draft conclusions proposed by the Chair
Addendum
Recommendation of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological advice, at its thirty-ninth
session, recommended the following draft decision for consideration and adoption by the
Conference of the Parties at its nineteenth session:
Draft decision -/CP.19
Guidelines and procedures for the technical assessment of
submissions from Parties on proposed forest reference
emission levels and/or forest reference levels
[The Conference of the Parties,
Reaffirming that, in the context of the provision of adequate and predictable support
to developing country Parties, Parties should collectively aim to slow, halt and reverse
GE.13-71008
FCCC/SBSTA/2013/L.33/Add.1
forest cover and carbon loss, in accordance with national circumstances, consistent with the
ultimate objective of the Convention, as stated in its Article 2,
Noting the urgent need for enhanced training for developing country Parties in the
assessment of forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels,
Recalling the provisions of decisions 4/CP.15, 1/CP.16 and 12/CP.17,
Also recalling that in accordance with decision 2/CP.17, paragraphs 66 and 67, both
appropriate market-based approaches and non-market-based approaches could be
developed to support the results-based actions by developing country Parties referred to in
decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 73,
1.
Decides that each submission referred to in decision 12/CP.17, paragraph 13, shall
be subject to a technical assessment;
2.
Recalls that in accordance with decision 12/CP.17, developing countries may, on a
voluntary basis and when deemed appropriate, submit a proposed forest reference emission
level and/or forest reference level, and that such proposed forest reference emission levels
and/or forest reference levels might be technically assessed in the context of results-based
payments;
3.
Adopts the guidelines and procedures for the technical assessment of submissions
from Parties on forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels contained in
the annex;
4.
Requests the secretariat to prepare a synthesis report on the technical assessment
process, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice
after the first year of technical assessments;
5.
Invites Parties, in particular developing country Parties, and, as appropriate,
intergovernmental organizations to nominate technical experts with the relevant
qualifications to the UNFCCC roster of experts;
6.
Invites Parties, in particular developed country Parties, and relevant international
organizations to support capacity-building in relation to the development and assessment of
forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels, taking into account the work
of the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not
included in Annex I to the Convention;
7.
Takes note of the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken
by the secretariat as referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4 above;
8.
Requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken
subject to the availability of financial resources.
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Annex
Guidelines and procedures for the technical assessment of submissions
from Parties on proposed forest reference emission levels and/or forest
reference levels
Guidelines for technical assessment
Objectives
1.
The objectives of the technical assessment are:
(a)
To assess the degree to which information provided by Parties is in
accordance with the guidelines for submissions of information on forest reference emission
levels and/or forest reference levels contained in the annex to decision 12/CP.17 for the
construction of the forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels;
(b)
To offer a facilitative, non-intrusive, technical exchange of information on
the construction of forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels with a
view to supporting the capacity of developing country Parties for the construction and
future improvements, as appropriate, of their forest reference emission levels and/or forest
reference levels, subject to national capabilities and policy.
Scope
2.
The technical assessment of the data, methodologies, and procedures used by the
developing country Party under assessment in the construction of its forest reference
emission level and/or forest reference level in accordance with decision 12/CP.17, chapter
II, and its annex, will assess the following:
(a)
The extent to which the forest reference emission level and/or forest
reference level maintains consistency with corresponding anthropogenic forest-related
greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks as contained in the national
greenhouse gas inventories;
(b)
How historical data have been taken into account in the establishment of the
forest reference emission level and/or forest reference level;
(c)
The extent to which the information provided was transparent, complete, 1
consistent and accurate, including methodological information, description of data sets,
approaches, methods, models, if applicable, and assumptions used and whether the forest
reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels are national or cover less than the
entire national territory of forest area;
(d)
Whether a description of relevant policies and plans has been provided, as
appropriate;
(e)
If applicable, whether descriptions of changes to previously submitted forest
reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels have been provided, taking into
account the stepwise approach;2
1
2
Complete here means the provision of information that allows for the reconstruction of the forest
reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels.
Decision 12/CP.17, paragraph 10.
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(f)
Pools and gases, and activities included in the forest reference emission level
and/or forest reference level, and justification of why omitted pools and/or activities were
deemed not significant;
(g)
Whether the definition of forest used in the construction of the forest
reference emission level and/or forest reference level has been provided and, if it is
different from the one used in the national greenhouse gas inventory or from the one
reported to other international organizations, why and how the definition used was chosen;
(h)
Whether assumptions about future changes to domestic policies have been
included in the construction of the forest reference emission level and/or forest reference
level;
(i)
The extent to which the forest reference emission level and/or forest
reference level value is consistent with the information and descriptions provided by the
Party.
3.
As part of the technical assessment process, areas for technical improvement may be
identified and these areas and capacity-building needs for the construction of future forest
reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels may be noted by the Party
concerned.
4.
The assessment team shall refrain from making any judgment on domestic policies
taken into account in the construction of forest reference emission levels and/or forest
reference levels.
Procedures for technical assessment
General procedures
5.
Each submission will be technically assessed by an assessment team in accordance
with the procedures and timeframes established in these guidelines.
6.
Each assessment team will conduct a thorough and comprehensive assessment of the
submitted forest reference emission level and/or forest reference level and will prepare a
report under its collective responsibility.
7.
The technical assessment process will be coordinated by the secretariat. The
assessment team will be composed of land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF)
experts selected from the UNFCCC roster of experts. Participating experts will serve in
their personal capacity and will be neither nationals of the Party undergoing the technical
assessment nor funded by that Party.
8.
In order to facilitate the secretariat's work, each Party should confirm to the
secretariat, who their active experts on the LULUCF roster of experts are who will be able
to participate in the technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and/or forest
reference levels.
Composition of the assessment team
9.
The secretariat shall ensure a balanced representation of LULUCF experts from
developing and developed countries. The Consultative Group of Experts on National
Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention may nominate one
of its experts from a developing country Party with relevant expertise to participate in the
technical assessment as an observer. Each submission shall be assessed by two LULUCF
experts selected from the UNFCCC roster of experts, one from a developed country and
one from a developing country.
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Timing
10.
Assessment sessions will be organized once a year. Submissions received no later
than 10 weeks ahead of a session will be assessed at that session. The assessment sessions
will take place in Bonn, Germany.
11.
The secretariat should forward all relevant information to the assessment team at
least eight weeks before the start of the assessment session.
12.
Prior to the assessment session, the assessment team should identify any preliminary
issues requiring clarifications from the Party, as appropriate.
13.
The Party that submitted the forest reference emission level and/or forest reference
level may interact with the assessment team during the assessment of its submission to
provide clarification and additional information to facilitate the assessment by the
assessment team.
14.
The assessment team may seek additional clarifications from the Party no later than
one week following the assessment session. This may result in the provision of technical
inputs to the Party on the construction of its forest reference emission level and/or forest
reference level. The Party is to provide clarifications to the assessment team no later than
eight weeks following the request. As a result of the facilitative process referred to above,
the Party may modify its submitted forest reference emission level and/or forest reference
level in response to the technical inputs of the assessment team.
15.
In the event that the Party modifies its submitted forest reference emission level
and/or forest reference level in response to the technical inputs of the assessment team, the
assessment team will consider this information within four weeks from the submission of
the modified forest reference emission level and/or forest reference level.
16.
The assessment team will prepare a draft report and make it available to the Party no
later than 12 weeks3 following the assessment session. The report should include a short
summary.
17.
The Party will have 12 weeks to respond to the draft report of the assessment team.
18.
The assessment team will prepare a final report within four weeks following the
Party’s response and the report will be sent to the secretariat for publication via the web
platform on the UNFCCC website.4 The report should contain an assessed forest reference
emission level and/or forest reference level and, if appropriate, areas identified for further
technical improvement, and capacity-building needs if noted by the Party concerned, for the
construction of future forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels,
incorporating the Party’s response.]
3
4
In the case that a Party modifies its submitted forest reference emission level and/or forest reference
level in accordance with paragraph 15, this period will be extended to no later than 16 weeks.
<http://unfccc.int/redd>.
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